On Norways coast the widowit dame

May wash the rocks with teirs,
May lang luke owre the schiples seis

Befoir hir mate appears.
Ceise, Emma, ceise to hope in vain ;

Thy lord lyis in the clay;
The valziant Scots nae revers thole

To carry lyfe away.

305

Set up

There on a lie, quhair stands a cross

for monument,
Thousands full fierce that summers day

Filld kene waris black intent.
Let Scots, quhyle Scots, praise Hardyknute,

Let Norse the name ay dreid,
Ay how he faucht, aft how he spaird,
Sal latest

ages

reid.

310

315

Loud and chill blew the westlin wind,

Sair beat the heavy showir,
Mirk grew the nicht eir Hardyknute

Wan neir his stately towir.
His towir that usd with torches bleise

To myne fae far at nicht,
Seimd now as black as mourning weid,

Nae marvel fair he fichd.

320

“ Thairs nae licht in my ladys bowir,

Thairs nae licht in my hall;
Nae blink fynes round my Fairly fait,

Nor ward stands on my wall. “ Quhat bodes it? Robert, Thomas, fay;" 325

Nae answer fits their dreid. “ Stand-back, my sons, I'll be zour gyde :"

But by they paft with fpeid.

330

“ As fast I haif sped owre Scotlands facs,"

There ceist his brag of weir,
Sair schamit to mynd ocht but his dame,

And maiden Fairly fair.
Black feir he felt, but quhat to feir

He wist not zit with dreid;
Sair schuke his body, fair his limbs,

And all the warrior Aed.

335

THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK.

1. ABALLAD OF LUTHER, THE POPE, A

CARDINAL, AND A HUSBANDMAN.

In the former Book we brought down this second Series of poems, as low as about the middle of the fixteenth century. We now find the Muses deeply engaged in religious controversy. The sudden revolution, wrought in the opinions. of mankind by the Reformation, is one of the most friking events in the hiftory of the human mind. It could

H 4

not

not but engross the attention of every individual in that age, and therefore no other writings would have any chance to be read, but such as related to this grand topic. The alterations made in the establifhed religion by Henry VIII, the sudden changes it underwent in the three fucceeding reigns with. in lo sport a space as,eleven or twelve years, and the violent struggles between expiring Popery, and growing Protestantism, could not but interest all mankind. Accordingly every pen was engaged in the dispute. Tbe followers of the old and New Profesion (as it was called) bad their respective Ballad-makers; and every day produced some popular sonnet for, or againft'the Reformation. The following ballad, and that intitled LITTLE JOHN NOBODY, may serve for specimens of the writings of each party. Both were written in the reign of Edward VI ; and are not the worst that were composed upon the occahon. Controversial divinity is mo friend to poetic flights. Yet this ballad of “ Luther and the Pope," is not altogether devoid of spirit; it is of the dramatic kind, and the characters are tolerably well fusainbd; especially that of Luther, which is made to speak in a manner not unbecoming the spirit and courage of that vigor, ous Reformer. It is printed from the original black-lètter copy (in the Pepys collection, vol. I. folio,) to which is prefixed a large wooden cut, designed and executed by some eminent mofler. This is copied in miniature in the small Engraving inserted above.

We are not to wonder that the Ballad-writers of that age frould be inspired with the zeal of controversy, when the very stage teemed with polemic divinity. I have now before me two very ancient quarto black-letter plays: the one published in the time of Henry VIII, intitled, Every Man; the otier, called Lustp Iuventus, printed in the reign of Edward V]. In the former of thele, occafion is taken to inculcate

great reverence for old mother church and her superAitions : in the other, the poet (one R. Wever ) with great

juccess attacks both. So that the Stage in those days literally was, what wise men have always wished it,-a supplement

E to the Pulpit :-This was fo much the case, that in the play

of Lufty Juventus, chapter and verse are every where quoted
as formally, as in a sermon; take an instance,
“ The Lord by his prophet Ezechiel fayeth in this wife

playrlye,
“ As in the xxxiij chapter it doth appere :

" Be converted, Oye children, &c.” From this play we learn, that most of the young feople were New Gospellers, or friends to the Reformation; and that the old were tenacious of the doctrines imbibed in their youth: for thus the Devil is introduced lamenting the downfal of Superftition,

“ The olde people would believe fil in my lawes,
• But the yonger sort leade them a contrary way,
“ They cwyl not beleve, they playnly say,

" In olde traditions, and made by men, &c." And in another place Hypocrisy urges,

ss The worlde was never meri
sr Since chyldren were so boulde :
“ Now every boy wil be a teacher,

“ The father a foole, the chyld a preacher."
Of the plays abovementioned, to the first is subjoined the fol-
lowing Printer's Colophon, Chus endeth this morall pla ye
of everp nan. Impronted at London in Powles chprehe
parbe by me John Dkot. 4. In Mr. Garrick's collection
is an imperfect copy of the same play, printed by Wynkyn
de Worde.

The other is intitled, Xn encerlude called Tuftp Insendus: and is thus diftinguished at the end : Finis. quod R. Wever. Imprinted at London in Paules churche peard, bị Xbraham Dele at the figne of the Lambe. Of this too Mr. Garrick has an imperfect copy of a different edition.

THE